Grade line anchor device



. 6, 1964 a. F. MILES GRADE LINE ANCHOR DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1962 INVENTOR. 5 3/0 E M/ZFS' United States Patent 3,151,372 GRADE LINE ANCHOR DEVICE Boyd F. Miles, R0. Box 32, Duvail, Wash. Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 241,930 9 Claims. (Cl. 24250) The present invention relates to a grade line anchor device of the type having pipe-gripping jaws capable of grasping, and so of being mounted upon, a pipe section already installed so that a line may be stretched between this anchor device and a distant anchor device in order to establish the projected grade for additional pipe sections to be installed. Notwithstanding that the device will be of great usefulness in this particular service, particularly in laying water and sewer lines, the device is capable of use for analogous purposes. In the use intended it is to be noted that the device once mounted upon a pipe section is securely held thereon until purposely released.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a device having mechanism whereby the anchor device can be quickly and easily mounted upon and removed from a pipe section, and when so mounted will serve as an anchor which is securely stabilized against the pull of the grade-establishing line extending transversely to the direction of gripping force applied by the jaws.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such an anchor device which is of simple construction, and the geometry of which is such that its jaws are positively and forcefully moved toward the secured position, and are held therein by a wedging force, and which in its secured position will be so held against accidental disengagement, yet when it is to be released the release may be e fiected by purposeful movement of a jaw away from the pipe, with no great application of force and without tendency of the parts to bind.

As a refinement, it is an object to provide mechanism for use with such an anchor device which will positively effect retraction of a movable jaw from engagement'with the pipe, to facilitate removal or application of the anchor device to the pipe.

It is, of course, an object to provide a device of this nature which will be of simple and rugged construction, and which can be made inexpensively.

As herein disclosed, the invention comprises a device having mutually hinged and complementally formed jaw structures, each of which has a jaw element and an operating lever-arm projecting generally radially therefrom. An operating lever pivoted on one jaw structure projects transversely toward and past the lever-arm of the other and carries a cam engageable with a surface on the latter lever-arm. The cams arc of swing is at an acute angle to the surface and thereby effects a wedging action urging the jaws together and holding the jaws together by reason of a geometrical relationship such that a jawopening force is resisted by the lever-arm being held in a position at right angles to the force. Certain additional features reside in the geometric relationships of pivots and lines of force, such that in pipe-gripping positions the operating lever is generally perpendicular to the portion of the lever-arm which it engages, whereby the parts remain in frictional engagement yet, upon cam retraction, move laterally apart without binding. 7

Withthese and other features and objects in mind as will appear more fully hereinafter, the present inven tion comprises the novel anchor device as shown in the accompanying drawings in an illustrative form, as will be described more fully hereinafter, and the novel features of which are set forth in the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view longitudinally of a trench, showingthe manner of usage .of the anchor device.

Patented Oct. 6, 19:64

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of the anchor device shown in the position its parts would assume when secured upon a pipe.

FIGURE 3 is a view transversely of the axis of a pipe, showing the anchor device in operative position thereon, and FIGURE 4 is a similar view showing the anchor device with its parts 'in position for removal from the pipe.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, and FIG- URE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, showing a modified form of the anchor device.

A pipe P which may represent the section last installed of a continuous pipeline, is shown in FIGURE 1 as supported at the bottom of a trench T, and it is assumed to be necessary to establish a grade governing the installation of the next section of pipe. This is done by extending a line or cord C between a stake S at the bottom of the trench distant from the end of the pipe P, and connected through resiliently extensible means, such as the spring R connected to the anchor device mounted upon the pipe, which is the subject of this invention.

The anchor device includes two complementally formed and pivotally connected jaw structures A and B. Jaw structure A has a jaw l, which may be termed a fixed jaw, and jaw structure B, a jaw 2 termed a movable jaw. Actually this is a mere convenience of terminolog however, inasmuch as neither jaw is fixed in the absolute sense, and each moves relative to the other. A leverarm handle 10 is aflixed rigidly to one such jaw, as to the fixed jaw 1 near its inner end, which is adjacent the inner end of the movable jaw 2. The handle 10 extends substantially radially of the pipe P and the jaws I and 2 are curved to vfit complementally about the pipe to a distance past the ends of a diameter. Preferably, they extend to points spaced perhaps apart so that the combined extent of the jaw is approximately 240. This assumes, of course, that the mutually adjacent ends of the jaws are separated negligibly, which of itself is not a requirement. In fact the jaws do not and need not contact the pipe in extended continuous arcs but may do so at discrete points. A footing member 11 is also rigidly secured to the inner end of the jaw l, and extends transversely to the general plane defined by the jaws I and 2, its purpose being to seat upon the longitudinal extent of the-pipe and so to stabilize the device byholding the handle 10 upright, against'the pull of the cordC lengthwise of the pipe. The handle 10 may be braceddiagonally from the jaw l by a brace 12.

V A lever-arm post 20 is rigidly secured to the inner end of the jaw complemental to that one whereon the handle Iii is secured, as to movable jaw 2, and it too extends generally radially of the pipe. It is unnecessary that the posts 10 and 20 extend radially of the pipe P, for the device would function correctly even if they did not. The post 20 being spaced angularly from the handle 10, the two cooperate to define a sector angle generally centered atthe axis of the pipe P. The'post 20, like the handle 10, may be braced from itsjaw 2 bythe brace'ZZ. j i

The two jaws are pivotally interconnected; for example, the post 20 of movable jaw 2 carries a transversely projecting pivot arm Z3-integral with the jaw, which is pivotally connected to the post-or handle 10 by apin' 21 spaced outwardly in 'a radial direction from the inner end ofjaw I, that is, radially outwardly ofthe pipe; "The head of this pivot pin has'an eye 21a which serves" as the anchorage for a connectingspring R, which is -connected .in'series with the cordC, as shown in FIG- I URE 2.

" By iemployihg wedging meansthat tendito increase the sector angle, andthat produce a force along 'a line directed parallel to a tangent of the pipe-engaging portion of the jaws 1 and 2, and more or less perpendicularly to the post 20, but located outwardly of the pivot at 21 of the movable jaw 2 upon the fixed jaw 1, the friction of such wedging means along this line resists strongly and adequately release of the jaws from their gripping position, and secures the device in place upon the pipe, until it is intentionally released. At the same time the location of the tangential line outwardly of the pivot at 21 allows the wedging force to be relaxed easily by intentional application of force, and the movable jaw 2 to move upwardly and directly away from the pipe, when removal of the anchor device is desired. To these ends, an operating lever 3 is pivotally mounted at 30 upon the handle 10 outwardly of the pivot axis at 21 where the movable jaw 2 is supported. The operating lever extends from this pivot mount at 30 across and past the post 20, and is provided with a cam or wedging means 4 positioned to engage an edge surface of the post 20.

As has been mentioned, the handle it) and post 20 define a sector angle centered at the axis of the pipe P. The wedging device 4 is so located and shaped that when the movable jaw 2 is swung outwardly away from the pipe the operating lever 3 is swung upwardly, as in FIG- URE 4, and pivotal retraction of the movable jaw 2 about its pivot center at 21 is permitted, but when the operating lever is swung clockwise, the wedging cam 4 engages the edge of the post 20 and progressively urges apart the handle 10 and the post 29 to form a slightly larger sector angle. The operating lever 3, unless parts are somewhat resilient, will not be permitted to swing, in the wedging direction, appreciably past a position directed transversely across the sector angle, generally perpendicularly to the post 20, although with the cam shape properly defined, or with some resilience in the device, the operating lever may swing somewhat past this position. The purpose is to produce increasing clamping pressure of the jaws 1 and 2 toward one another about the pipe, and to produce such geometry in the resistance between them that the friction between the cam and the 'post 24 which it engages will sulfice to retain the anchor device securely in place upon the pipe, since any resisting force acts substantially perpendicularly to the lever 20. The jaw 2, it will be realized, swings about the pivot axis at 21, which is far enough outward from the surface of the pipe that the opening movement of the jaw is generally away from the surface of the pipe, as indicated by the arrow A1. The operating lever 3 swings about the pivot center at 30, which is farther outwardly upon the post or handle 10, and swings in an are indicated by the arrow A2, and when swung clockwise about the center at 30, the cam 4 is in such position that any tendency for the jaw 2 to relax and swing in the direction of the arrow A1 is resisted by a reaction force which is almost directly in line with the operating lever 3, and which is also virtually directly transverse to the sector angle. However, the operating lever 3 is of such length that whenever it is desired to remove the anchor device from the pipe, it can without undue force be swung upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow A2, and once the operating lever is past the directly transverse position, the cam will not afiord undueresistance.

In FIGURES 5 and 6 there is shown the same anchor device with an added refinement consisting of the abutment 5 mounted at the outer end of the post 20. An abutment on the operating lever 3 cooperates with the abutment 5, and as shown, the cooperating abutment is the point of the cam 4. The purpose of these tWO'fiblltments is to lift the movable jaw 2 away from its gripping position about the pipe. In the gripping position shown in FIGURE 5 the abutment-s d and 5 are not in engagement, but when the operating lever 3 is swung counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow A2 in FIG- .4 URE 6, the abutments 4 and 5 interengage and the upward swinging of the operating lever 3 effects positive upward movement of the jaw 2 out of its gripping position.

As will be understood, the anchor device is secured and left upon the end of the last pipe section at P, and the cord C is then stretched between the stake S and the anchor device, a resiliently extensible spring R being incorporated in the cord so that the cord may be moved aside when the next pipe section is lowered into the trench. When in place this new section of pipe is aligned by means of the cord C at the proper gradient, and is connected in the normal way, after which the anchor device is removed and applied again to the last placed section of the pipe. The device might be used in other service, as for instance, it might be secured upon the ends of columns in order to align them with other colurnns. In any such case, the jaws 1 and 2 would be suitably shaped to grasp the object upon which they were to be mounted.

I claim as my invention:

1. An anchor device of the character described, for securement upon a pipe, comprising a fixed jaw and an aligned movable jaw each extending oppositely from an inner end which is adjacent the inner end of the other jaw, and complementally shaped to surround the pipe, a handle outstanding from the inner end of the fixed jaw and a post outstanding from the inner end of the movable jaw, an arm rigid with said post and extending to the, pivot means interconnecting the arm and the handle, outwardly of the inner end of the fixed jaw, for swinging of the movable jaw away from and toward the pipe, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the handle, outwardly of the pivot axis of the arm, and extending past the post, and a wedging cam carried by said operating lever and engageable with said post to urge the same and the movable jaw toward the pipe.

2. An anchor device for mounting upon a pipe or the like, comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw defining a common plane, the two jaws extending oppositely from an end of each which is adjacent the end of the other, pivot means interconnecting said jaws in the vicinity of their adjacent ends, a handle generally in the plane of the jaws and outstanding from the fixed jaw at its adjacent end, a post also generally in the plane of the jaws and outstanding from the movable jaw at its adjacent end, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon said handle, outwardly of said pivot means, and extending past said post, and a wedging element carried by said operating lever and engageable with said post, the operrating lever, post, and wedging element being so positioned and arranged that when the jaws are in gripping engagement with the pipe at line lying in the plane of the jaws and extending between the point of contact of the wedging element with the post and the axis of the pivotal mount of the operating lever is substantially perpendicular to the post.

3. An anchor device as in claim 2, subject in use to a lateral displacing force, and including further a footing rigid with one of the jaws for engagement with the pipe, and directed transversely to the plane defined by the aws.

4. An anchor device as in claim 3, wherein the footing is rigid with the fixed jaw, and wherein this fixed jaw is directly subjected to the displacing force.

5. An anchor device of the character described, for securement upon a pipe or the like, comprising a fixed jaw and an aligned movable jaw each extending oppositely from an inner end which is adjacent the inner end of the other jaw, and complementally shaped to surround the pipe in excess of means pivotally interconnecting said jaws in the vicinity of their inner ends, a handle rigid withand outstanding generally radially trom the inner end of the fixed jaw, a post rigid with and outstanding generally radially from the movable jaw,

and cooperating with the handle to define a sector angle, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the handle, outwardly of the pivot axis of the movable jaw, and wedging means movable with the operating lever into the sector angle and towards its apex, to increase such angle to a maximum when a line joining the wedging element and the axis of the pivotal mount of the operating lever is substantially perpendicular to the post, and so to grip the jaws about the pipe and to sustain the anchoring device upon the pipe.

6. An anchor device as in claim 5, wherein the wedging means is constituted as a cam rigid with the operating lever and engageable with the post, said cam having a post-engaging edge the distance whereof is progressively farther from the operating levers pivot axis, throughout the cams operative range, to progressively spread apart the handle and the post as the wedging means advances to its maximum angle position.

7. An anchor device of the character described, comprising a handle which in use is directed generally radially of a pipe or the like, a post angularly offset from said handle and also, in use, being directed generally radially of the pipe or the like, to define with the handle a sector an le, means interconnecting said post and said handle for pivotal movement of the post about a pivot axis located somewhat outwardly of the inner end of the handle, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon said handle and extending past said post, transversely of the sector angle, a wedging cam carried by said operating lever and engageable with the post, for movement from a nonwedging position wherein the operating lever inclines outwardly of the sector, inwardly towards the apex of the sector angle, to a wedging position wherein the operating lever is directed transversely across the sector angle, said wedging cam being of a shape such that in wedging position the operating lever extends generally perpendicularly to the post, and two complemental jaws carried, one by the inner end of the handle, and the other by the inner end of the post, and shaped to grasp the pipe or the like when the cam is in its wedging position.

8. A grade line anchor device comprising mutually complemental pipe-gripping rigid jaw structures pivotally interconnected, having cooperable jaw elements disposed to embrace a pipe therebetween and respectively having transversely separated generally radially project ing lever-arm elements operable for moving the respec tive jaw elements mutually together and apart, an operating lever mounted pivotally on one lever-arm ele ment to project transversely therefrom past the other lever-arm element, means forming a camming surface extending generally lengthwise on the latter lever-arm element, and means forming a cam carried by said operating lever to wedgingly engage said surface by swinging of said operating lever inwardly toward the jaw thereby to urge the jaw elements together, said surface being disposed at an acute angle to the line of advance of said cam to effect such wedging engagement.

9. A pipe-gripping anchor device comprising a fixed jaw and an aligned movable jaw each having one end adjacent an end of the other, and each extending from such adjacent end about and shaped to cooperatively engage the pipe, a handle outstanding from one such jaw at its adjacent end and a post outstanding from the other such jaw at its adjacent end, in each case in a direction sub stantially radially of the pipe, said handle and post cooperating to define a small sector angle when the jaws are engaged with the pipe, pivot means interconnecting said post and handle for pivotal movement of the movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw about a center located radially outwardly of the pipe, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon said handle, radially outwardly of the pivot means interconnecting the jaws, and a wedging ele ment carried by said operating lever and movable therewith inwardly towards the apex of such angle when moving towards operative position, said wedging element being engageable with said post along a line radially of said levers pivotal mount and generally perpendicular to said post, thereby to spread apart the post and the handle substantially to a maximum sector angle, and to retain them thus by the perpendicular relation of the operating lever and wedging element relative to the post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,278,735 Perry Apr. 7, 1942 2,342,506 Wrobbel Feb. 22, 1944 2,398,413 De Laurentis et a1 Apr. 16, 1946 2,880,031 Dark Mar. 31, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, June 1956, volume 105, No. 6, page 240.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,151,372 October 6 1964 Boyd F. Miles It is hereby certified that error a ent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line '30;

after "the and before the comma, insert handlef -m. v I

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of March 1965,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDEYR EDWARD J. BRENNER Altesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. AN ANCHOR DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, FOR SECUREMENT UPON A PIPE, COMPRISING A FIXED JAW AND AN ALIGNED MOVABLE JAW EACH EXTENDING OPPOSITELY FROM AN INNER END WHICH IS ADJACENT THE INNER END OF THE OTHER JAW, AND COMPLEMENTALLY SHAPED TO SURROUND THE PIPE, A HANDLE OUTSTANDING FROM THE INNER END OF THE FIXED JAW AND A POST OUTSTANDING FROM THE INNER END OF THE MOVABLE JAW, AN ARM RIGID WITH SAID POST AND EXTENDING TO THE PIVOT MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE ARM AND THE HANDLE, OUTWARDLY OF THE INNER END OF THE FIXED JAW, FOR SWINGING OF THE MOVABLE JAW AWAY FROM AND TOWARD THE PIPE, AN OPERATING LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED UPON THE HANDLE, OUTWARDLY OF THE PIVOT AXIS OF THE ARM, AND EXTENDING PAST THE POST, AND A WEDGING CAM CARRIED BY SAID OPERATING LEVER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID POST TO URGE THE SAME AND THE MOVABLE JAW TOWARD THE PIPE. 